Belka, Strelka and Company: how Soviet mutts Conquered Space

This article is marking the recent 65th anniversary of the orbital spaceflight of the Soviet
spacecraft Sputnik-5 with dogs Belka and Strelka on board. It recounts the history of dog
spaceflights as part of the Soviet space program. The article describes the reasons behind choosing dogs for testing, the procedure for their selection and training, and offers a
brief history of spaceflights with dogs.